September 2, 2016 AT 8:00 am

“The problem with today’s crime scene reconstruction practices is that [they] usually involve still photography, hand-drawn sketches and — in rare cases — videography,” Mehzeb Chowdhury, a PhD researcher in forensic science and criminal investigations at Durham University in the U.K., told Digital Trends. “Experts will bring 3D-rendered crime scene animations, which are later created and rendered using a combination of the still images and sketches, to court. This is an approximation of reality, not reality itself. Juries are bamboozled by conflicting crime scene recreations, as each side presents its own version of the crime scene, and where the evidence was found.”

Chowdhury’s solution? A robot that will enable jurors to explore crime scenes for themselves using virtual reality. His MABMAT robotic imaging system is capable of recording 360-degree HD video using a NASA-inspired rover unit, able to autonomously roam a crime scene at the time it’s being investigated and capture every salient detail from it.